524 



NATURE 



March 29, 1894 



the same as that described by Prof. Strasburger in Cocosjlexnosa. 

 In tracing the outer stem bundles downwards, one occasionally 

 was found to end in the woody fundamental tissue of the 

 stem without fusing with another from a lower leaf. In the 

 cylindrical leaf of Vanda tei'cs the bilateral symmetry charac- 

 te^istic of most leaves was replaced by an imperfect radial 

 symmetry ; the upper surface of the leaf is, however, repre- 

 sented by a longitudinal groove in the lamina. In Dendrobiiait 

 ieretifolium almost perfect radial symmetry was found, 

 the upper surface being represented by a canal running 

 axially down the leaf; the walls of this canal for the greater 

 part of its length are in close apposition, and are lined with 

 epidermal cells, having a strongly marked cuticle. The de- 

 velopment of this leaf was found to correspond with that of 

 V. teres, except that the collar of tissue from which it arises 

 enlarges uniformly, and not, as in V. teres, mostly on that side 

 on which the lamina stands. The leaf in Brassavola Hadweni 

 is an interesting connecting link between that of Dendrobittin 

 terctifoliiim and Vanda teres ■ the distal portion of the leaf is 

 circular on cross-section, lower down a deep groove represents 

 the upper surface, while at a still lower point the sides of the 

 groove fused over it and the groove becomes a "canal" pass- 

 ing obliquely inwards into the leaf, till it finally occupies an 

 almost axial position. The memoir was illustrated by a large 

 series of drawings representing the various structures referred 

 to, and a selection of these, of which photographs had been 

 made, were thrown on the screen. Both papers were referred 

 to the Council for publication in the Proceedings of the 

 Academy. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, March 19. — M. Loewy in the chair. 

 — The death of General Fave was announced by the President. — 

 An apparatus illustrating the horizontal movements in walking, 

 by M. H. Resal. — On intestinal absorption and the lacteals of 

 the rat, by M. L. Ranvier. — Observations of the planets 1894, 

 AX Wolf, AY Wolf, AZ Courty, BA Charlois, made at 

 Toulouse Observatory (Brunner equatorial), by M. E. Cosserat. 

 — Observations of the new planets BB (Charlois, Nice, March 

 8) and AX (Heidelberg, March i), made at Lyons Observa- 

 tory byM.G. Le Cadet. — On the variations of the Peltier effect 

 produced by magnetisation, by M. L. Houllevigue. A 

 theoretical consideration of the cases of iron and bismuth 

 longitudinally and transversely magnetised and nickel longi- 

 tudinally magnetised, with copper as the second element of the 



couple. The equation Vt = / </> (T^M) (/T furnishes a general 



solution of the problem "to find, at any temperature T, the 

 difference of potential between a soft metal and the same metal 

 in a field M," which the author is examining experimentally. — 

 New method of studying electric convection in gases, by M. N. 

 Piltchikoff. A point discharge is directed on to the surface of 

 castor oil, and the depression of this surface studied under vary- 

 ing conditions. — Application of the vectorial method to the 

 study of apparatus giving intermittent secondary currents, by 

 M. A. Blondel. — The monochromatoscope, a. new apparatus, by 

 M. Maurice de Thierry. — On the general law of the solubility 

 of normal substances, by M. H. Le Chatelier. A mathematical 

 paper in which one of the deductions is as follows : If latent 

 heat of solution were independent of temperature and concen- 

 tration, the normal curve of solubility of any given substance 

 would be the same in all solvents. — On a new automatic appa- 

 ratus for measuring simultaneously the weight and volume of 

 liquids, by M. Louis Bedout. — On the molecular weight of 

 ferric chloride, by M. P. Th. Muller. The raising of the 

 boiling points of alcohol and of ether by dissolved ferric chloride 

 show that the molecular weight at the boiling point of alcohol 

 is represented by the formula FeCls; in the case of ether 

 solutions, the molecular weight dimini>hes with the increase in 

 dilution. — On the composition and heat of formation of the 

 hydrate of nitrous oxide, by M. Villard. The composition of 

 this substance corresponds to the formula NoO.GIIjO. Two 

 determinations of its heat of formation gave 77 84 cal. and 

 7776 cal. for I gram of water. — On thallium hypophosphates, 

 by M. A. Joly. The salts TLHoPgOg and TI^PoO^ are de- 

 scribed. The latter decomposes with Tiberation of heat when 

 heated to 250° ; Tl^P.p^ = 2TIPO3 + 2TI.— On the distribu- 

 tion of strains in metals under stresses, by M. F. Osmond. — On 

 /3 dibromopropionic acid, by M R. Thomas Mamert. CHBrj. 

 CH2.CO2H is obtained by the action of fuming hydrobromic 

 acid'on CHBr:CH.C02H at 100°. It melts at 71°.— On the 



NO. 1274, VOL. 49I 



influence of the method of distribution of manures on their 

 utilisation by plants, by M. A. Prunet. — Researches on the 

 pathology of pancreatic diabetes, by M. M. Kaufmann. — The 

 glucose formation exciting nerves, by MM. Morat and Dufourt. 

 — On the anal sacs of Ophidians, by M. Portier. — Anatomy of 

 the trachean system of the larvce of Hymenoptera, by M. 

 Bordas. This system may be represented as formed by two 

 long lateral parallel cylinders, giving off numerous transverse 

 branches, united anteriorly by a large trunk, and posteriorly by 

 two unequal branches forming a perirectal ring. — On the de- 

 generation of the genital products among the Polyclinidse, by 

 M. Caullery. — Bacillary maladies of several plants, by MM. 

 Prillieux and Delacroix. — On Pterophylhmi, by M. B. Renault. 

 — On the gabbros and amphibolites of the bed rock of Belle- 

 donne, by MM. L. Duparcand A. Delebecque. — The tectottique 

 zones of the Alps of Switzerland and Savoy, by M. Emile 

 Haug.— Researches on mud overflows, by M. Stanislas 

 Meunier. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books — Life and Rock : R. Lydekker (Universal Press, High Holborn). 

 — The Microscope and Microscopical Methods: Prof. S. H. Gage, 5th 

 edition (Ithaca, New Vork). — A Standard Dictionary of the English Lan- 

 guage, Vol. I (Funk and Wagnalls Co.). — Introduction to the Mathe- 

 matical Theory of the Stress and Strain of Elastic Solids : Dr. B. 

 Williamson (Longmans). — The Outlines of Quaternions: Lieut.- 

 Colonel H. W. L. Hime (Longmans). — Everybody's Guide to Gardening : 

 H. H. Warner (Saxon). — Perennial Irrigation and Flood Protection for 

 Egypt (Cairo). 



Pamphlets. — Hand-Guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens, P^rddeniya : 

 H. Trimen, 4lh edition (Colombo). — Die Magnetischen Localabweichungen 

 bei Moskou, &c. : Dr. H. Fritsche. — Report on the Operations of the De- 

 partment of Land Records and Agriculture, Madras Presidency, 1S92-93 

 (Madras). 



Serials. — Timehri. December (Stanfoid). — Beitrage 2ur Geophysik, 2 

 Band, i Heft (Stuttgart). — Astronomy and Astro-Physics, March (Wesley). 

 — Natural Science, April (Macmillan). — Geographical Journal, April 

 (Stanford). — Morphologisches Jahrbuch, 21 Band, i Heft (Williams and 

 Norgate). — Transactions of the Astronomical and Physical Society of 

 Toronto for 1893 (Toronto). — The American Antiquarian and Oriental 

 Journal, November (K. Paul) — Humanitarian, April (Sonnenschein). — 

 Epsom College Natural History Society Report for Year 1893 (Holmes). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Flowering Plants of Western India 501 



The Parasitic Theory of the Causation of Malig- 

 nant Tumours 502 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Hickson : " The Fauna of the Deep Sea" 502 



Greaves : "A Treatise on Elementary Hydrostatics " 503 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Sun-spots and Magnetic Disturbances. — Dr. M. A. 



Veeder 503 



Dredging Expedition at Port Erin. — Prof. W. A. 



Herdman, F.R.S 503 



The Scope of Psycho-Physiology. By Prof. C. 



Lloyd Morgan 504 



The Behaviour of Liquids under High Pressures. 



{With Diagram.) By J. W. Rodger 506 



Notes 507 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Photographic Nebulosities in the Milky Way .... 511 



Madras Observatory 5^^ 



A New Comet 5" 



Recent Investigations and Ideas on the Fixation of 

 Nitrogen by Plants. By Prof. H. Marshall Ward, 



F.R.S 511 



The Har Dalam Cavern and its Ossiferous Contents 514 



Geography in Caucasus 5'5 



Isoperimetrical Problems. {Illustrated.) By Lord 



Kelvin, Pres.R.S S'S 



Geological Survey of the United Kingdom. II. By 



Sir Archibald Geikie, F.R.S S'^ 



Scientific Serials 52° 



Societies and Academies S^i 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 524 



